Could malaria come back to Louisiana?
West Nile is spreading in mosquitoes across Louisiana.
It’s not the only disease Louisiana’s mosquitoes can carry.
St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana
Louisiana is home to more than 60 known mosquito species.
West Nile virus, which primarily spreads through Culex mosquitoes, infected 86 people in Louisiana in 2025 and killed four.
The state reported more than a thousand West Nile–positive mosquito samples that year, with St. Tammany Parish reporting nearly three times the number of positive samples compared to the year before.
Malaria is transmitted by a different species. Once endemic to the region, malaria is less common in Louisiana today.
The mosquitos that carry it, however, are native to the state’s wetlands and remain present.
Mosquito-borne illness is rare in America because we led the fight against it
The fight against mosquitoes is a global one, but it starts in our own backyard.
That’s why U.S. investments in global health matter. Strong U.S. global health leadership helps prevent infectious disease threats from becoming larger emergencies. For less than 1% of the federal budget, these programs work to prevent, detect and treat deadly diseases around the world—stopping outbreaks at their source and helping American families stay safe at home.
Let’s keep Louisiana malaria-free
Tell your representative to continue protecting America from malaria and other deadly infectious diseases through U.S. leadership in global health.